The Bread of Life

Life in His Name – Part 15

The Bread of Life – John 6:22-40

Crosspoint – Michael Allen – May 21th, 2023

Intro:
John 6:22-40 ESV
On the next day the crowd that remained on the other side of the sea saw that there had been only one boat there, and that Jesus had not entered the boat with his disciples, but that his disciples had gone away alone. Other boats from Tiberias came near the place where they had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks. So when the crowd saw that Jesus was not there, nor his disciples, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum, seeking Jesus. When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you come here?” Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.” Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” So they said to him, “Then what sign do you do, that we may see and believe you? What work do you perform? Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.”‘ Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world:’ They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.” Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”
Jesus is calling you to His Kingdom, and out of your own.

  • The Son of Man language is being repeated here from Daniel. This is imagery they would have been familiar with.

Daniel 7:13-14 ESV
“I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.

  • The people wanted to raise Him up to make Him a king, but He’s already the king. He’s not calling you to a set of circumstances, He’s calling you to be in His presence

Romans 10:9 ESV
If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

  • Tim Keller: “The gospel is this: We are more sinful and flawed in ourselves than we ever dared believe, yet at the very same time we are more loved and accepted in Jesus Christ than we ever dared hope.” 
  • We let the desires of our flesh, our sin, mask our reception of Jesus.

John 6:32-33 ESV
Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

  • We need to look away from the work of God in people’s lives as the things to which we attain, and recognize that those things should point us to Him. Even the things that we would say are fundamentally or morally good, are not the thing that we require. Jesus is. 
  • Similar to the woman at the well, this group is completely missing the point Jesus is trying to make.

John 6:35-40 ESV
Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”

  • Your life and relationship with Jesus is assured when you come to Him. “Whoever comes to me I will never cast out.” 
  • You are called to a person, Jesus, God made flesh, the Alpha and the Omega, wonderful counselor, mighty king, prince of peace, the author of your salvation. 
  • Jesus continues to remind them that He is God, when He says “I will raise them up on the last day” Tim Keller: “All death can do to Christians is make their lives infinitely better.” 
  • Jesus is calling you to His kingdom, and out of your own, and His is an eternal kingdom. Yours is not.

Deuteronomy 8:3 ESV
Man does not live by bread alone, but on every word that come from the mouth of the Lord.

  • Are you trying to live on bread alone, on the materialism of this world, or do you look to the words of the Lord that you might have true life and purpose?